Da Vinci Science

Dear Parents/Guardians and Students of Da Vinci Communications, Design, Science and Connect High Schools:

Last night some of you may have received texts, emails and/or calls from students, parents and community members about a threat to our schools posted on a social media platform that was then further disseminated on other social media sites.

After having received the initial notification about the threat, the El Segundo Police Department (ESPD) was contacted and they immediately launched an investigation in collaboration with Da Vinci Schools regarding this matter. They were provided with all necessary information including information that we received last night from students, parents, and DV staff members. Thanks to everyone’s assistance and cooperation, the individual(s) involved were identified and the matter has been dealt with safely.

Having verified that the threat was deemed not to be credible, has been neutralized, and that those involved have been dealt with, the affected schools, DV Communications, Design, Science and Connect high schools will be open and in session today, Wednesday, September 8, 2021.

All of our safety measures will be in place as always and we will make sure to do everything possible to continue to provide a safe learning environment for our students and staff. In an abundance of caution, ESPD will have officers present on site throughout the day.

If you have any questions or further concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

Be well and be safe,

Vicente Bravo
Chief Administrative Officer
Da Vinci Schools
201 N. Douglas Street
Office – #1308-Musician
El Segundo, CA 90245
(424) 290-3244 direct
(310) 725-5800, Ext. 1308 main
vbravo@davincischools.org

This week, we have college reps doing Zoom visits with DVS students at lunchtime from UCSB, USC, the University of New Mexico, and the University of Redlands! Students from all grades are invited to attend, learn about the schools, and ask their questions. See Steve or Grace or a counselor if you have any questions. We encourage all students to begin thinking about college options right from the start!

Our 2021-2022 Calendar has several updates, including our first School Site Council meeting next Wednesday 9/15 (please fill out this short form if you are interested in joining our School Site Council!), the Student Club Fair and rollout of Honors options for students in week 6, and webinars in weeks 6-8 with information for parents on our Mastery-Based Grading system and our College Counseling plans for each grade level. Zoom links to those webinars will be coming soon!

On October 13, we will host an “SAT School Day” in which all DVS students will take the SAT (12th graders), PSAT (10th & 11th graders), or PSAT 8/9 (9th graders) free of charge during the school day. More information about the SAT School Day will be shared at the college counseling webinars in weeks 7 and 8. You can also access more information about our college counseling resources on this page of the Counseling Corner!

Week 3 was a terrific week at DVS, with the launch of our seminars and our classes running a full week of our regular schedule! We are proud of our students for settling back into a safe and productive routine of in-person school so well. This weekend is a 3-day weekend as there will be no school on Monday 9/6 in observance of Labor Day.

Please take a minute to review our updated semester 1 calendar, as we have made a few changes and additions including our first School Site Council meeting on Wednesday 9/15. The School Site Council is an opportunity for parents, students, & staff to work collaboratively to review the school program, review data and identify needs, make recommendations for the Local Control and Accountability Plan, and approve the Single/School Plan for Student Achievement. If you are interested in joining the DVS School Site Council, please fill out this School Site Council interest form before Wednesday 9/8. All submissions received by September 9 will be added to a voting form that will go out to the DVS parent community. School Site Council members will be notified on Friday September 10, and the first School Site Council meeting will be held via Zoom on Wednesday September 15. If you have any questions, feel free to send them to me at swallis@davincischools.org. Thank you!